It’s not just about money. People invest in home energy upgrades for a variety of reasons. Our new report explores their motivations and unveils, based partly on a representative survey of nearly 2,000 homeowners, the best strategies for encouraging them to invest in energy efficiency.
This webinar will discuss the latest research on the best ways to frame home energy upgrade recommendations, including results from our recent homeowner survey. Read more about this topic in the most recent report by Dr. Reuven Sussman and Maxine Chikumbo in the Behavior and Human Dimensions program at ACEEE.
Webinar takes place November 7, 2017
Yesterday we reported on how Duke Energy leads the Southeast in energy efficiency, and Florida Power & Light is providing the worst results in the region. But what about the rest? There are a lot of great stories to tell, but first here’s a reminder of the overview.
As discussed in yesterday’s blog, across the region SACE works in, utility management commitment, state regulatory or legislative policy, and stakeholder engagement are the critical factors that determine success. Today’s blog will review the rest of the Florida utilities, Southern Company, and the South Carolina utilities.
Read more (Cleanenergy)
It’s not just about money. People invest in home energy upgrades for a variety of reasons, including reconstruction after heavy storms. Our new report explores their motivations and unveils, based partly on a representative survey of nearly 2,000 homeowners, the best strategies for encouraging them to invest in energy efficiency.
People who invest in home energy upgrades want to save money on their utility bills, but they also want to improve their health, make their homes more comfortable, protect the environment, or mitigate climate change. In some cases, they are more likely to invest in upgrades when home energy assessors explain the nonfinancial benefits.
Our report, How to Talk About Home Energy Upgrades, shows that the framing of these messages matters. For example, the terms comfort or health may not motivate homeowners, but homeowners are motivated to get rid of cold drafts, remove mold, reduce allergy symptoms, and insulate against noise, among other issues.
Read more (ACEEE)
Energy efficiency doesn’t often make front-page news, but behind the scenes, this resource is steadily transforming energy markets — although the changes can be difficult to track.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) documented the progress states have made on efficiency measures in its latest State Scorecard.
“In the absence of a national uniform energy standard…state policies are often the key drivers in spurring investment in efficiency,” said Weston Berg, ACEEE research analyst and Scorecard lead author.
In this year’s ranking, Massachusetts edged ahead of California to reclaim its first-place position — posting the state’s highest-ever efficiency savings of 3 percent of sales. The state’s Green Communities Act of 2008 continues to be a strong driver, as well as the $15 million Affordable Access to Clean and Efficient Energy Initiative and other affordable housing grant programs.
Read more (Green Tech Media)
Customer engagement. It’s the phrase du jour in the utility industry. But few agree on exactly what it means.
That’s because it could mean many different things. And perhaps that’s not such a bad thing — as long as it results in a more efficient, dynamic, customer-centric system. That’s the hope, anyway. Or the hype.
In this year’s GTM Squared survey on mastering the utility sales cycle, we saw a noticeable increase in the emphasis on customer engagement among utilities. In two areas — where utilities plan to invest and where utilities…
Read more (Green Tech Media)
Green construction is rapidly gaining traction among both single family and multifamily home builders, according to new research published in the Green Multifamily and Single Family Homes 2017 SmartMarket Brief.
The latest in a series of studies conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics in partnership with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the study shows that green homes are continuing to gain market share.
At least one third of single family and multifamily builders who were surveyed said that green building is a significant portion of their overall activity (more than 60 percent of their portfolio). By 2022, this number should increase to nearly one half in both the single family and multifamily sectors. Within this group, nearly 30 percent of multifamily builders fall into the category of “dedicated” green builders (more than 90 percent of their portfolio). On the single family side, the percentage of “dedicated” green builders is nearly 20 percent, but that share is expected to grow sizably by 2022.
Read more (PR Newswire)
Virginia tied for 29th in the 2017 State Scorecard, rising four places from the position it held in 2016 and becoming one of this year’s most improved states. The state scored 15.5 points out of a possible 50, 2.5 points more than last year. Virginia has shown a commitment to saving energy through an array of state-led initiatives. However the state has significant room
to strengthen efficiency programs and policies in the utility sector. To guarantee energy and cost savings for businesses and residents, the state could make its 10% electricity savings target mandatory and offer performance incentives to utilities achieving higher levels of electricity and natural gas savings. Virginia could also work to streamline the process by which utilities evaluate, measure, and verify energy savings which may help utilities to develop efficiency programs with more comprehensive measures. To keep costs low for all Virginia consumers, utilities could design programs that better meet the needs of large customers. Beyond the utility sector, the
state could incentivize CHP deployment to deepen energy savings, reduce bills for homes and businesses, and support local economic development.
Read more (ACEEE)
To mitigate climate change, cities need to target buildings—the “mother lode” of greenhouse gas emissions, as New York Mayor Bill De Blasio called them last week.
At a news conference, he announced a pathbreaking proposal to set stricter energy efficiency standards in the city’s aging buildings—and to fine building owners who don’t comply with the codes.
Other cities may need to crack down, too, if they are to meet their climate goals. Across the U.S., cities have pledged to reduce emissions, with some (like New York) aiming ambitiously for 80 percent reductions by 2050.
“If you’re a city that’s concerned about climate change, you have to focus on buildings, because that’s where the carbon is,” says Cliff Majersik, executive director of the Institute for Market Transformation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on climate and energy.
Read more (Inside Climate News)
What role can energy efficiency play in meeting the U.S. share of global climate goals? This question has been asked in many forums and models, and the answers are always consistent: smarter use of energy in buildings, transportation, and industry is the single largest, cheapest and lowest impact pathway to net-zero climate pollution. But a new NRDC report highlights just how important its role is to this clean energy transition.
New, comprehensive modeling by NRDC and Energy + Environmental Economics (E3) outlines a cost-effective pathway to a climate-safe future that relies on today’s proven clean energy solutions. The big news here is not just that we can do it. It’s how. The report breaks new ground by combining more aggressive—but achievable—assumptions on the potential to scale up energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean, efficient electrification, with complex energy system modeling tools that the most sophisticated Department of Energy and private sector analyses employ.
Read More (NRDC)
For the first time in history, half of the world’s population lives in cities. Cities hold economic weight, inspire a sense of belonging and loyalty (just ask a Red Sox fan), and are hubs for innovation and investment. And increasingly, cities are focusing on what can be done at the local level to promote clean, healthy, and prosperous communities and stepping up to the plate with commitments like America’s Pledge to meet Paris climate goals in the absence of a firm federal commitment. Through these bold acts, cities are making possible more ambitious action at the state and national level.
City-focused climate funds, which finance projects in a city that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase resiliency, can provide positive environmental, economic, and health impacts. Such funds, including New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation(NYCEEC), The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) in Toronto, the London Green Fund (LGF), and Sustainable Melbourne Fund (SMF), have been able to create a substantial impact relative to the monies they have deployed by focusing on delivering value beyond access to capital alone. Other cities are joining the trend: in 2018, the City of Boston plans to launch Renew Boston Trust, which aims to use a market-based, self-funding model to increase energy efficiency investments and climate resiliency in its commercial and municipal buildings, nonprofit institutions, and multi-family properties.
Click here to read more.
